Korea's King Sejong Stamps

A statue of King Sejong in Seoul's Yeouido Park.

One of Korea's national heroes is the Joseon-era King Sejong (1397-1450). Under the rule of King Sejong, many scientific advancements were made, legal and political reforms were enacted, the Japanese pirates that plagued Korea were neutralized, and the Manchu armies were kept at bay by Joseon military forces. Most importantly of all, King Sejong himself is credited with creating the Korean alphabet known as Hangul (한글). This system of 24 letters made the ordinary people of Korea literate and remains the default alphabet of Korea to this very day. In effect, King Sejong took many of the priviledges of the upper classes - in particular the ability to read and write - and handed them down to the rest of the country's population. He has remained a hero to the Korean people to this very day.

King Sejong also enjoys a special distinction that very few other monarchs worldwide can enjoy: He is one of five linguistic scholars worldwide to be depicted on national currency. His likeness has adorned the ₩10,000 won bill since 1962, making him one of Korea's most instantly recognizable historical figures.

It's no small wonder then that he has been the subject of a number of stamp issues in South Korea since the ROK was established after World War II! Since 1948, Korea Post has issued several different commemoratives of King Sejong and the Hangul alphabet.

A King Sejong stamp from 1956.

The first King Sejong definitive stamp was issued at the end of 1956. This stamp is a 40-won stamp that depicts a seated Sejong on the face. In July 1957, this stamp was printed in a shade of red rather than the original purple.

The King Sejong definitive of 1961-62.

Five years later, another definitive was issued commemorating King Sejong and his greatest achievement, the Hangul alphabet. This 3-won stamp features a close-up of King Sejong surrounded by all 24 Hangul letters. In 1966, this stamp was re-issued in red and had the official English name of South Korea - "Republic of Korea" - listed above the Korean name of Korean Post.

In 1993, Korea Post would issue another King Sejong stamp. This 710-won definitive was printed in full color and featured the famous painting of Sejong. Behind him is Hunminjeongeum (훈민정음), the document that listed the Hangul alphabet and explained its usage to the people. Another version of this stamp, a  red 910 won stamp, was issued a year later. Both of these stamps commemorated scientific achievements during the early years of the Joseon Dynasty and reflected the increase in postage rates that took effect in 1993.

In 2000, a King Sejong stamp similar to the ones above would be issued as part of the fifth issue of the Millineum Series issued by Korea Post commemorating important figures from Korean history and their achievements. However, this one also featured the section from Hunminjeongeum titled  "Pictorial Vowels Representing the Eight Divination Signs" interspersed with the rest of the artwork.

In 2008, a set of commemoratives were issued that pertain to King Sejong. However, these do not feature the king himself, but the South Korean station in Antarctica that was named after him! This set features artwork depicting the station and station personnel riding around on snowmobiles amid penguins and forbidding cliffs of ice. It was released in commemoration of the station's 20th anniversary.

King Sejong is one of Korea's greatest kings who not only changed Korean history forever, but also left his mark on Korean philatelic history!

(King Sejong statue image copyright: InSapphoWeTrust via Wikimedia Commons.)